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4 Building self-confidence

Work experience is the perfect place to build your self-confidence as it will push you outside your comfort zone in an environment where your employer acknowledges that you have less experience and are there to learn.

If you are looking to change direction in your career, leaving a familiar area of expertise to start something new can certainly feel daunting, so work experience can help to build your confidence too.

Self-confidence and resilience often go together, and you’ll explore resilience in more detail in Week 8.

Watch this short video from Mind Tools to find out more about building your confidence in the workplace.

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Video 5
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Activity 4 Building self confidence

Timing: Allow about 20 minutes for this activity

As recommended in the Mind Tools video, list 10 achievements from your life and career so far.

If you’re stuck, you could ask for input from family, friends or colleagues.

After you have noted these down, take a moment to reflect on how these achievements make you feel.

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Discussion

You’ll be looking at goal setting a little later in the course but for now, enjoy the confidence boost that listing those achievements has given you.

You could do a version of this activity during your work experience – looking back at the end of each week and listing a key achievement you’ve made during that week. It doesn’t have to be ground breaking, just something that makes you feel pleased with yourself. For example, it could be a conversation with a senior member of staff who you’ve been nervous about approaching or acknowledgement from a colleague of a job well done.

In the final section of this week, you’ll look at the benefits of being able to build your network of contacts.